The Game Awards 2025 nominees are here, and it looks like another massive year for Geoff Keighley’s annual showcase. The full list was revealed during a livestream on 17 November, confirming the six Game of the Year contenders along with every category from Best RPG to Best Esports Team.

Your nominees for GAME OF THE YEAR at #TheGameAwards 2025 on Thursday, December 11. pic.twitter.com/VQTXMfNHOQ

— The Game Awards (@thegameawards) November 17, 2025

If you skipped the announcement stream, don’t worry. We’ve wrapped all the key highlights in one place.

A Big Night Locked In For December

The Game Awards 2025 will stream live on 11 December, promising the usual blend of world-premiere trailers, celebrity appearances, live performances, and of course, actual awards sprinkled throughout the show.

As expected, this year’s nominees were selected by a global panel of journalists, critics, and industry veterans. GOTY nominations were leaked early, but the full list is now official.

Game of the Year 2025 Nominees

The big headline of the night is the GOTY lineup, which leans heavily into strong indie showings alongside blockbuster sequels.

The six GOTY nominees are:

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
• Donkey Kong Bananza
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 leads the entire show with 12 nominations, making it the most nominated game in The Game Awards history. Hades II and Silksong both earned major recognition, continuing the trend of indie titles punching well above their weight.

Fans can cast their vote for Game of the Year until 10 December.

Top Games With The Most Nominations

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – 12 Nominations

Image Credit: Kepler Interactive

The biggest standout this year, sweeping categories including Best Game Direction, Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, Best Score, and even Best Independent Game.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – 7 Nominations

Image Credit: Kojima Productions

Hideo Kojima’s highly anticipated sequel appears across multiple major categories, including Game of the Year, Best Game Direction, and Best Narrative.

Ghost of Yōtei – 7 Nominations

Image Credit: Sony

A visual and atmospheric hit, nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Narrative, and Best Audio Design.

Hades II – 6 Nominations

Image Credit: Supergiant Games

Supergiant Games continues its legacy with the sequel landing nods in GOTY, Best Direction, Best Score, Best Action Game, and more.

Hollow Knight: Silksong – 5 Nominations

Image Credit: Team Cherry

Team Cherry’s long-awaited release earns recognition across art, score, and action adventure categories.

Split Fiction – 4 Nominations

Image Credit: Hazelight Studios

A rising favourite in action adventure and multiplayer categories.

Other Major Categories To Watch

The Game Awards 2025 features dozens of categories. Here are some of the notable highlights:

Best Game Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Split Fiction

Best Narrative

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
• Silent Hill f

Best Art Direction

• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Death Stranding 2
• Ghost of Yōtei
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Best Independent Game

• Absolum
• Ball x Pit
• Blue Prince
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
• Hades II
• Hollow Knight: Silksong

Indies continue to thrive, with Expedition 33 and Silksong competing against major studio titles in multiple categories.

Mobile, VR, and Family Categories

Mobile gaming gets its own spotlight with nominees like Destiny: Rising, Persona 5: The Phantom X, and Wuthering Waves. VR and AR also return with titles such as Alien: Rogue Incursion and Marvel’s Deadpool VR.

The Best Family Game category features heavy hitters including Donkey Kong Bananza, LEGO Party, Mario Kart World, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Esports Categories

Esports remains a huge part of the show, with categories covering athletes, teams, and the best competitive titles of the year.

Best Esports Game nominees:

• Counter-Strike 2
• Dota 2
• League of Legends
• Mobile Legends: Bang Bang
• Valorant

Best Esports Athlete:

• brawk
• Chovy
• f0rsakeN
• Kakeru
• MenaRD
• Zyw0

Best Esports Team:

• Gen.G
• NRG
• Team Falcons
• Team Liquid PH
• Team Vitalit

What’s Next For The Game Awards 2025

With the nominees locked in, voting begins, discussions heat up, and fans start building their own predictions ahead of the December show. The Players’ Voice category will be revealed closer to the event, and if the Game Changer award returns this year, it will be announced during the ceremony.

The Game Awards 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most competitive years yet, especially with indies standing toe to toe with major AAA releases.

We’ll keep you updated with any new announcements, reveals, and surprises as the countdown continues.

The post The Game Awards 2025: Full GOTY Lineup Revealed And Indies Dominate This Year appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Gamescom Opening Night Live has always been a bit different from Geoff Keighley’s other big showcases. It might not reach the hype levels of The Game Awards, but it still brings plenty of heavyweight reveals, updates, and a few surprises ahead of the full Gamescom convention, which runs from August 20 to 24.

The stage is set 🤩 https://t.co/J9W0QTILbf

— gamescom (@gamescom) August 19, 2025

This year’s ONL put a spotlight on some of the heavy hitters we already knew about, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Resident Evil: Requiem, while mixing in fresh announcements and unexpected throwbacks. If you missed it, here’s a rundown of everything that showed up on stage, with every title getting its share of the spotlight.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Shows Off Co-Op and Multiplayer

The night kicked off with Black Ops 7, giving us a closer look at campaign gameplay and confirming four-player co-op. We also got details on multiplayer modes, including traditional 6v6, massive 20v20 maps, and the return of Dead Ops Arcade 4.

Zombies wasn’t forgotten either, though a full Zombies reveal is coming in September, followed by Call of Duty NEXT on September 30. The first beta runs October 2–8, ahead of the full launch on November 14. Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass players will also get access with early bonuses like the Reznov Pack.

They said 4-player co-op campaign?! Really #BlackOps7 ? #OpeningNightLive pic.twitter.com/tB3mKHMzBe

— gamescom (@gamescom) August 19, 2025

Ghost of Yotei Adds Free Co-Op Legends Update

Ghost of Yotei may be dropping on October 2, but that’s not the end of the road. Sony confirmed a free Legends multiplayer expansion is coming in 2026, letting players tackle challenges together in co-op.

World of Warcraft: Midnight Brings Back Multi-Raid Tiers

Blizzard surprised World of Warcraft fans with the Midnight expansion reveal. Instead of the usual one-raid-per-season approach, Midnight’s first tier will feature three raids. That could shake up the Race to World First scene in a big way.

pic.twitter.com/bZxm0tJAbm

— gamescom (@gamescom) August 19, 2025

Players will also get the Haranir as a new allied race, with classes ranging from Warrior to Druid. On top of that, solo players get the new Prey hunting system, unlocking cosmetics, mounts, and gear for personal housing.

Monster Hunter Wilds x Final Fantasy 14 Collab

Capcom and Square Enix are linking up again. Monster Hunter Wilds will welcome Chocobos and other FF14 goodies in September, while FF14 players get Wilds-inspired mounts like Seikrets and new monster fights in October.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Expands — and Heads to Switch 2

The Order of Giants expansion for Indiana Jones and the Great Circle lands September 4. ONL gave us a deeper look at the story — plus the big surprise that the game is heading to Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight Revealed

Warner Bros is reviving the Lego Batman franchise with Legacy of the Dark Knight. This time it’s an open-world Gotham, packed with traversal options, Arkham-style combat, and nods to different Batman eras. Players can also tweak difficulty for extra challenge.

Hollow Knight: Silksong Finally Shows Up

Yes, it’s real. Team Cherry appeared on stage with a short gameplay snippet of Hollow Knight: Silksong, confirming a 2025 release window. A full showcase is happening August 21, where fans can expect more details — including, hopefully, a release date.

Sonic x Pac-Man Crossover

Sega and Bandai Namco are trading mascots. Pac-Man is joining the roster of Sonic Racing CrossWorlds in early 2026, complete with a themed stage. Meanwhile, Sonic comes to Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac in late 2025, with a Green Hill Zone level included.

Legendary collab! Don’t sleep on the #OpeningNightLive pre-show! 😱 pic.twitter.com/Vv2uQp6y4Q

— gamescom (@gamescom) August 19, 2025

Resident Evil: Requiem Brings Horror Back

Capcom’s Resident Evil: Requiem got fresh gameplay, spotlighting Grace Ashcroft as she returns to the site of her mother’s murder. The game launches February 27, and attendees at Gamescom will get hands-on before more story and gameplay details are revealed.

Black Myth: Zhong Kui Announced

Instead of expanding Black Myth: Wukong, Game Science revealed a direct sequel: Black Myth: Zhong Kui. The game will follow the ghost-catching deity who straddles the line between humanity and hell. No release date yet, as it’s still in early development.

Other Reveals You Shouldn’t Miss

Alongside the big hitters, ONL packed in plenty of trailers and updates:

• Fallout Season 2 trailer showed New Vegas, releasing December 17.
• Silent Hill F dropped a trailer with its new English voice cast ahead of September 25.
• Void/Breaker launched into early access on Steam right after the show.
• World of Tanks 2.0 goes live September 3, plus a spinoff hero shooter World of Tanks: Heat.
• Sekiro: No Defeat anime is coming to Crunchyroll in 2026.
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword showed new gameplay.
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 4 announced for 2026.
• The Outer Worlds 2 drops October 29.
• Rhythm game Unbeatable launches November 6.
• Valor Mortis, a soulslike set in an alternate Napoleonic War, revealed by the Ghostrunner devs.
• Lords of the Fallen 2 trailer confirmed for 2026.
• Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault enters early access October 23.
• Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 finally launches October 21.
• Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion demo is live now, full launch September 5.
• Project Spectrum, a horror-infused PvPvE FPS from Team Jade, was revealed.
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 gets its Legacy of the Forge expansion on September 9.
• Cult of the Lamb announced the Woolhaven expansion for early 2026.
• Age of Empires IV comes to PS5 on November 4 with all expansions.
• Ron Gilbert’s Death by Scrolling got its quirky debut

The post Gamescom Opening Night Live 2025: Every Game Reveal, Trailer, and Update appeared first on Shane the Gamer.